


True Believers

by orphan_account



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-23
Updated: 2018-09-23
Packaged: 2019-07-16 05:53:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16079789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: While visiting his girlfriend in Winterfell, Tyrion learns some secrets about Sansa's teenage past. Fluffy Modern AU oneshot.





	True Believers

“Arya, no, you don’t need to show him!” said Sansa as Arya took out a scrapbook. 

“Of course I do, Tyrion, look at this.”

It was the first time Tyrion had come to Winterfell to meet Sansa's family and Arya had taken it upon herself to show Tyrion some of the old family albums, scrapbooks and yearbooks stored in their living room. 

Tyrion looked at the page Arya had opened in the family scrapbook. It showed a photograph of Sansa Stark at age thirteen, smiling excitedly. All around Sansa’s face was written “JB + SS 4EVA” in gel pen hearts. Bordering her image were glued-on magazine pictures of Justin Bieber in various poses- Justin dancing, Justin making a smoochy face, Justin with his shirt off. There was even a picture of Justin cut out so that it looked like Sansa was standing next to him in a wedding dress.

“You were a Belieber, Sansa?” said Tyrion.

“Oh, she wasn’t just _any_ Belieber!” said Arya, “Sansa was president of the Justin Bieber fan club at our middle school! She was convinced she was really going to marry him just because his publicity team sent her a piece of fan-mail once.”.

Tyrion gave a startled look at his girlfriend and Sansa blanched.  

Arya pulled out a yearbook from high school.  “Oh, and then Sansa went through her whole Goth phase …” 

The yearbook photo showed Sansa in a black ripped-shoulder top with criss-cross lacing and a satin chocker.

 “Sansa! You were a goth girl!” 

“Yeah, don’t cross her Tyrion, or she might put some voodoo curse on you,” said Arya. “She’s really a witch!”

“Ugh,” said Sansa putting her head in her hands. “Do you have to tell him _all_ my embarrassing secrets, Arya?”  

Tyrion didn’t think Sansa had that much to be embarrassed by. He thought Sansa’s teen goth look was kind of sexy. Well, at least it was less ridiculous than some of the ill-suited styles his father had forced Tyrion to wear for family pictures.  

When she was getting dressed later, preparing to go out for dinner with her family, Tyrion smiled at Sansa quizzically.

“So Justin Beiber? That’s your type then- pretty, baby faced, skilled at singing and dancing…”

“I was THIRTEEN, okay?” said Sansa, “I thought his songs were cute.”

 “My dad was pretty strict to us girls growing up,” explained Sansa. “He had all of these rules- no drinking, no staying up past curfew, no fighting with Arya and I could only date boys he approved of. I used to obsess over boys I knew he wouldn’t like, just to be rebellious.”

Sansa looked affectionately into Tyrion’s black and green eyes. “But ever since he passed a way, I’ve started to appreciate men more like my father…kind, brave, strong…”

“So that explains why you'd want to date the playboy Imp of the Lannister Empire?” said Tyrion archly, knowing of his tabloid reputation.

“Well, I couldn’t date someone who was _too_ much like my dad,” said Sansa, making a face as if tasting lemonade without any sugar. “That would just be weird.”

* * *

Arya, Bran and Jon joined Sansa and Tyrion for dinner at a pub downtown. Football games played silently on the TV screens around them as everyone ordered drinks. Some of the rowdier locals were singing “Dirty Water” by The Standells in thick Bostonian accents on the karaoke stage at the front of the pub.

Jon nudged Tyrion’s shoulder and looked at the stage. “Hey, Tyrion, maybe if you sang one of those Bieber songs, Sansa would be really into it.”   

Tyrion shook his head. “You wouldn’t want to hear someone with a voice as terrible as mine trying to sing.”

“But that’s the whole point of karaoke,” said Jon, “Martyring your pride for the entertainment of your friends.” 

Tyrion didn’t feel like telling Jon that the real reason he preferred not to perform in crowds was that people usually took it as some kind of joke because of his dwarfism.

Tyrion noticed how was Sansa sitting hunched over as if trying to fade into the furniture. Something about watching the singers seemed to make her sad. He wished he could put a smile back on her face and he thought about Jon's advice. 

Tyrion took a strong sip from his beer. Before he could lose his nerve, he walked up to the stage and made a request.  

_“You know you love me, I know you care_

_Just shout whenever, and I'll be there_

_You are my love, you are my heart_

_And we would never ever ever be apart.”_

Sansa’s mouth hung open. Tyron pointed at her as he held the microphone in the opposite hand. He got more into the performance, shaking his hips provocatively.

_“Are we an item? Girl, quit playing_

_We're just friends, what are you saying?_

_Say there's another and look right in my eyes_

_My first love broke my heart for the first time”_

A few hoots and cheers came from the crowd. Though he had started the karaoke performance entirely in jest, by the time Tyrion reached the chorus, Sansa could see that he was actually pouring out his heart. 

_“Baby, baby, baby oooh_

_Like baby, baby, baby nooo_

_Like baby, baby, baby oooh_

_I thought you'd always be mine!”_

He sang the song all the way through. Then, Tyrion stepped off the stage with a completely shameless affect as he took Sansa’s hand and kissed it.

“I can’t believe you did that!" Sansa whispered, when they returned to their seats. She knew her boyfriend didn’t usually like singing or dancing in public.

"What? Just because Justin Bieber is kind of a terrible person doesn’t mean all his songs are terrible too. And if anyone could turn a cranky old skeptic into a true Belieber, it was you, Sansa!” 

Sansa laughed. Then her eyes clouded over. Sadness, indecision and determination flashed in succession in her expression. 

She walked quietly up to the stage and made a selection from the karaoke machine. 

A blue strobe light focused on her face. The sound of piano music played through the speaker.

Tyrion’s usually shy, unassuming girlfriend began to sing in a devastatingly ethereal voice.

_“For you, there'll be no more crying_

_For you, the sun will be shining_

_And I feel that when I'm with you,_

_It's alright, I know it's right_

_To you, I'll give the world_

_To you, I'll never be cold_

_'Cause I feel that when I'm with you,_

_It's alright, I know it's right_

_And the songbirds are singing, like they know the score!_

_And I love you, I love you, I love you, like never before!_ ”

The people in the pub listened raptly as Sansa belted while she focused her attention entirely on Tyrion. A round of applause erupted when she finished. 

“Sansa, you didn’t tell me that you can SING!” said Tyrion as they walked outside.

Sansa shrugged. “It’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing. That was incredible. Did you ever have professional training?”

“When I was younger, I did for a little while. I dreamed of being a singer like all the pop stars I idolized. I even recorded a demo and did a few performances at school. But I gave it up after awhile.”

“Why did you stop? You have a lot of talent.” Tyrion wondered if it had anything to do with her father dying when she fourteen. He knew that had been a hard time for Sansa’s family as a whole.

Sansa looked off into the distance and grimaced. “I had this one manager. He was about twice my age. He talked a lot about making me rich and famous but then it turned out that he only wanted to hit on me. I guess after that, my heart wasn't really in it any more.” 

Fury burned in Tyrion’s chest. If there was any justice in the world, Sansa would be famous and successful. But maybe there was some way he could give her another shot at achieving her ambition. 

“My friend Daenerys has a recording studio. I know a little about recording and production. We should cut a record.”

 “I don’t know…” said Sansa.

“How will you know if your dreams can come true, if you never give them a second chance?” said Tyrion.

“Did you steal that line also from Justin Bieber?”  
  
“No, I came up with that myself.”

“Okay,” said Sansa, “but if we do that,  _you_ have to write the cheesy lyrics.”  
  
“Deal," said Tyrion, squeezing her hand triumphantly. Tyron couldn't wait to see what kind of music they would make together. 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Please review if you have the chance! Or let me know if you have any Sanrion prompts.
> 
> By the way, the version of "Songbird" I was thinking of when I wrote this is the Eva Cassidy cover.


End file.
